Angel… Our Mama Turns 10-Years-Old Today
Our Angel, a half-long-haired, half short-haired, light red and white, fawn-face Chihuahua stole our hearts and literally saved my life, or at least my sanity, during a very dark time for me. Angel is the mama and the alpha dog at our house and of our little pack of Chihuahuas and Chiweenies.
According to her papers, Angel was born in Oklahoma on May 3rd and ten weeks later had made her way to our home and into our hearts.
Baby Angel
My husband was allergic to everything with fur and feathers. But when our daughter was young we gave in starting with hamsters, mice, rats, geckos, lizards, fish, turtles… and then birds. Then our daughter came home with a dog, Angel, while she was working part-time at a pet store, the summer after her first year of college. She was supposed to be earning a little pocket money for the next year. Instead she pretty much spent all she earned and came home with a papered Chihuahua at the height of the Chihuahua craze… who became our Angel.
My husband said, “no way… absolutely not!” Our daughter was going back to the dorms and he was allergic, so he took Angel right back to the store. They wouldn’t take her back because our daughter had signed the contract and they had given up a full paying customer to let her buy Angel at the employee discount, less than half of what they had had an actual customer for. And of course, our daughter went back to school and the dorms about a month later with Angel in tow insisting she could sneak her in and keep her there. Less than an hour after her arrival at school with her 4-legged roommate, we were on our way to pick Angel up. My husband went through 18-months of allergy shots after that so we could keep her.
A year later our daughter was off sailing around the world with the Semester at Sea program. When she got back mid-year, she was assigned a lulu-bell for a roommate and bargained with us to get an off-campus apartment a semester early. She wasn’t there a month… when she brought home a Chiweenie puppy, Apachi, who was being given away outside the pet store, near school, where she had just gotten a part-time job after returning from her sail. A pet store job is never a good idea for her. Major Problem… it was a no pet apartment and we had signed a year’s lease.
Not long after getting Apachi, our daughter’s colitis flared up to an extreme level (I tend to think some vaccines that they got overseas might have exacerbated her condition adding to some stress in her life at the time and too much partying during that period and trip). After a stint at an alternative care facility, in an attempt to avoid radical surgery, she unfortunately ended up having to have 2 major surgeries and I spent a total of 54-days (24/7) in the hospital sleeping on a cot in her room, with her. My husband, who was home with Angel and Apachi, visited daily. With all that was going on we really didn’t think about the fact that neither 6 month old Apachi nor Angel had been fixed. Angel was the best tempered Chihuahua with a really easy going disposition and everyone had said, if we could breed her with a like-type male, they’d love to have a puppy. So I was looking for a mate for her and Apachi was just a baby, and taking him in to be neutered just got lost in all the goings on.
Next thing we knew… we had 4 puppies: Goji Angelina, Magnum, and Princess (As Pictured Below)
Angel was a natural and terrific Mom who took great care of her little brood and Apachi watched over them from somewhat of a distance… until they were weaned, at which point he took over.
Angel Has Always Loved Riding in the Car and Going for Walks… Before and After the Rest of the Family Arrived.
Heading to Dana Point, CA for a Walk
Walks in Wyoming
Traveling From Texas to CA
Walking in Texas
The boy pups (Magnum and Goji) and Angelina went to new homes at 10-weeks of age and we decided to keep Princess, our ADHD girl… Then a few weeks later Angelina came back to us, because her new family couldn’t keep her and we had requested that if anyone who took a puppy had problems that we would get them back. Long story short… we kept Angelina too and that is how we went from birds, turtles and rats, at the time, to 4-dogs and a fish who survived being fed to our turtles.
Angel at Age 8
Angel (9) and Neighbor MaryAnn Playing
Angel’s 2nd Birthday
Angel’s 5th Birthday… USC Party
Our pups are now 7, 8 and 10-years old… We have always had separate birthday parties for everybody, but this year we are going to have a combined party next week, including for Rocky, our in-laws’ aging Cocker Spaniel. But we had a mini-celebration today, on Angel’s actual 10th B-day.
Our Christmas Card the Past Couple of Years (Below)… Featuring our Furkids Singing. The Rule Within the Pack Appears to be That Nobody Can Start Singing Until Angel Starts.
Related:
‘Until One Has Loved an Animal, Part of Their Soul Remains Unawakened’
Pet Parties – The Latest Craze
For these moms, a dog-day afternoon
Photos By: UCLA Shutterbug
Halloween Pet Fun… Looking Back
Looking back at some fun Halloween moments with our gang and friends…
Happy Halloween 2013 From the Gang at Just One More Pet
2013 Annual NYC Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade – Haunted Hounds
‘Until One Has Loved an Animal, Part of Their Sour Remains Unawakened’
Pet Dads With Their Pets (Furkids)
UCLA Shutterbug – Wyoming Outing
Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival
UCLA Schutterbug - Kisses for Schatze
Reddit/orangefever - Just Wrestling
UCLA Shutterbug - Having a PowWow
UCLA Shutterbug - Whole Family is Asleep… Pups 7-Weeks Old
Frenchie Dad Plays with His Pups
Video: Frenchie Dad Plays with His Pups
So cute!! This reminds me so much of our Apachi playing with his pups after they were weaned. Mama Angel was the best Mommy and Apachi watched over them dutifully, but from a distance, until they were weaned and then he took over.
Grandpa Tim With Tired Daddy Apachi; 7-Week Old Pups (In Semi-Circle Front to Back) Princess, Goji, Angelina and Magnum After Too Much Playing; and Mama Angel in the Foreground.
Merry Christmas From Just One More Pet
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas
And a fabulous Holiday Season
May you be surrounded with the people, pets and things you love.
May your heart be filled with joy and memories of former Christmases
And may you be blessed by the story and love of the true reason for this beautiful season.
The characters below are at the top of the list of what makes us happy!
US… Angel, Angelina, Apachi and Princess
Us… As We See Ourselves
Us… Singing to Wish you a very Merry Christmas…
Cross-Posted at our Sister Site: Ask Marion
Related:
A Dog’s Rules For Christmas and Hanukkah
Adopt a Pet This Christmas… Or Give Someone a New Friend for Christmas (or Hanukah)!
Watch Glenn Beck’s Emotional Tribute To His Dog, Victor
Training Your Dog to Decorate Your Tree
All I want for Christmas Is You~
Critter for Christmas Gift… Not Always Best Idea! – Unless you do it the right way
‘Until One Has Loved an Animal, Part of Their Soul Remains Unawakened’
Our pups are now 3,4 and 6-years old… Yes 4, pretty amazing for people who never had or really wanted pets. I always liked animals, but really didn’t want one of my own. Perhaps I just realized that I wasn’t in a place or ready to take care of them yet and my husband was allergic to everything with fur and feathers. So when our daughter was young we gave in starting with hamsters, mice, rats, geckos, lizards, fish, turtles… and then birds. Then our daughter came home with a dog while she was working part-time at a pet store, the summer after her first year of college. She was supposed to be earning a little pocket money for the next year. Instead she pretty much spent all she earned and came home with a papered Chihuahua… who became our Angel.
Baby Angel
My husband said, “no way!” Our daughter was going back to the dorms and he was allergic, so took Angel right back to the store. They wouldn’t take her back because our daughter had signed the contract and they had given up a full paid sale to let her buy Angel at the employee discount, less than half of what they had had an actual customer for. And of course, our daughter went back to school and the dorms, with Angel in tow insisting she could sneak her in and keep her there. Less than an hour after her arrival at school with her 4-legged roommate, we were on our way to pick Angel up. My husband went through 18-months of allergy shots after that so we could keep her.
A year later our daughter was off sailing around the world with Semester at Sea. When she got back mid-year, she was assigned a lulu bell for a roommate and bargained with us to get an off-campus apartment a semester early. She wasn’t there a month… when she brought home a Chiweenie puppy, Apachi, who was being given away outside the pet store, near school, where she had just gotten a part-time job after returning from her sail. A pet store job is never a good idea for her. Major Problem… it was a no pet apartment and we had signed a year’s lease.
Baby Apachi
Not long after getting Apachi, our daughter’s colitis flared up to an extreme level (I tend to think some vaccines that they got overseas might have exacerbated her condition adding to some stress in her life at the time and too much drinking and partying during that period and trip). After a week at an alternative care facility in an attempt to avoid radical surgery, she unfortunately ended up having to have 2 major surgeries and I spent a total of 54-days (24/7) in the hospital sleeping on a cot in her room, with her. My husband was home with Angel and Apachi and visited daily. With all that was going on we really didn’t think about the fact that neither 6 month old Apachi nor Angel had been fixed. Angel is a half long-hair half short-hair fawn face Chihuahua with a really easy going disposition and everyone had said, if we could breed her with a like-type male, they’d love to have a puppy, so I was looking for a mate for her and Apachi was just a baby and taking him in just got lost in all the goings on.
Next thing we knew… we had 4 puppies: Angelina, Magnum, Princess and Goji
Angel was a natural and great Mom and Apachi watched over them from somewhat of a distance… until they were weaned, at which point he took over.
The boys (Magnum and Goji) and Angelina went to new homes at 10-weeks of age and we decided to keep Princess. Then a few weeks later Angelina came back to us, because her new family couldn’t keep her and we had requested that if anyone who took a puppy had problems that we would get the puppy back. Long story short… we kept her too and that is how we went from birds, turtles and rats, at the time, to 4-dogs and a fish who survived being fed to our turtles.
Goji and Magnum
Princess and Angelina
We have been very blessed to have found homes for Magnum and Goji with wonderful families who keep in touch and let us know how the boys are doing at least a couple times a year…
Goji and Magnum above… Angelina and Princess below at age 2
Usually at the holidays or the pups’ birthday
Our 4 Sing Happy Birthday
The puppies were about 6-months old here
And this is them now… Angel 6, Apachi 4 and the pups 3
It has been an amazing experience to watch this little family grow and interact. An experience that most people and even animals don’t get to have unless you live in the country. People ask, “Wow, aren’t they a lot of work?”. I can honestly say that the joy so out-weighs any work, that I never even notice… and I cook for our four for all their meals.
As for our daughter… she went on to get more furkids…
Precious (a Pomeranian), Merlin (a Papillion) and Annabelle (a Chorkie)
By Marion Algier/Ask Marion – Just One More Pet
Photos by the UCLA Shutterbug
Boy calls dog who fought off cougar his ‘guardian’
Austin Forman, 11, says he’s grateful his dog Angel saved him from a charging cougar. (CBC) A boy from Boston Bar, B.C., whose golden retriever saved him from a charging cougar, says he wouldn’t be alive if his dog hadn’t stepped in.
Austin Forman, 11, was gathering firewood in his backyard at about 5 p.m. Saturday when his dog, Angel, started acting strangely.
Angel started following him to and from the woodshed, Austin said, almost as though she was checking to make sure he was OK.
Suddenly, Angel ran toward Austin and jumped over a lawn mower — right into the path of a charging cougar.
“I knew at that moment that I would have to go get help, otherwise [Angel] wouldn’t have any hope,” Austin said.
Angel, credited with saving an 11-year-old boy’s life, suffered only minor injuries. (RCMP) As Angel fought the cougar, Austin ran inside, where his mother called 911.
When the RCMP arrived on scene minutes later, they found the cougar under the back porch of the house, chewing on Angel’s neck.
An officer shot the cougar, killing it instantly.
Austin said it was the first time he’d ever seen a cougar in the yard.
“I was shocked and scared at the same time. I wasn’t expecting a cougar at all to be in our yard,” he said.
An RCMP officer shot the cougar, killing it instantly. (RCMP) “I feel very, very lucky. If it wasn’t for my dog, I don’t think I would be here.”
Austin said he now feels very differently about Angel.
“She was my best friend, but now she’s more than a best friend — she’s like my guardian now.”
Angel suffered some puncture wounds on her head, neck and one of her hind legs. Austin was not hurt.
Boston Bar is located roughly midway between Vancouver and Kamloops
Save a Life…Adopt Just One More…Pet!
Everyday we read or hear another story about pets and other animals being abandoned in record numbers while at the same time we regularly hear about crazy new rules and laws being passed limiting the amount of pets that people may have, even down to one or two… or worse yet, none.
Nobody is promoting hoarding pets or animals, but at a time when there are more pets and animals of all types being abandoned or being taken to shelters already bursting at the seams, there is nothing crazier than legislating away the ability of willing adoptive families to take in just one more pet!!
Our goal is to raise awareness and help find homes for all pets and animals that need one by helping to match them with loving families and positive situations. Our goal is also to help fight the trend of unfavorable legislation and rules in an attempt to stop unnecessary Euthenization!!
“All over the world, major universities are researching the therapeutic value of pets in our society and the number of hospitals, nursing homes, prisons and mental institutions which are employing full-time pet therapists and animals is increasing daily.” ~ Betty White, American Actress, Animal Activist, and Author of Pet Love
‘Until One Has Loved an Animal, Part of Their Soul Remains Unawakened’
So if you have the room in your home and the love in your heart… Adopt Just One More Pet or consider becoming a Foster parent for pets… Also check out: Little Critter: Just One More Pet
Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know(Kindle)
Photos By: Marion Algier – The UCLA Shutterbug
There is always room for Just One More Pet. So if you have room in your home and room in your heart… Adopt Just One More! If you live in an area that promotes unreasonable limitations on pets… fight the good fight and help change the rules and legislation…
Save the Life of Just One More…Animal!
Recent and Seasonal Shots
As I have been fighting Cancer… A battle I am gratefully winning, my furkids have not left my side. They have been a large part of my recovery!! Ask Marion
Photos by the UCLA Shutterbug are protected by copyright, Please email at JustOneMorePet@gmail.com or find us on twitter @JustOneMorePet for permission to duplicate for commerical purposes or to purchase photos.
See Creative Pet Halloween Costumes
If you can adopt or foster just one more pet, you could be saving a life, while adding joy to your own! Our shelters are over-flowing… Please join the fight to make them all ‘NO-Kill’ facilities.
Help Make a Difference
JustOneMorePet- In Memory of Rocky – Until We Meet Again on Rainbow Bridge August 30, 2015By JoAnn, Marion, and Tim Algier This past week, we lost our dear family member Rocky who had just outlived his “huep – na-napbdad”, Tom, by just a few months. His perspective would have been interesting!! Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been […]justonemorepet
- In Memory of Rocky – Until We Meet Again on Rainbow Bridge August 29, 2015By JoAnn, Marion, and Tim Algier This past week, we lost a dear family member, Rocky, who had just outlived his “human pet-dad”, Tom, by just a few months. It certainly would have been interesting to know what they thought and what experiences they had had in common!! Just this side of heaven is a […]justonemorepet
- Panda Accused of Faking Pregnancy To Get Better Food, Air Conditioning August 1, 2015Expectant pandas are moved to air-conditioned rooms and showered with more buns, fruit and bamboo. By Dominique Mosbergen – News Editor, The Huffington Post – Posted: 07/30/2015 12:57 AM EDT | Edited: 07/31/2015 02:07 PM EDT Pandas Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, names together mean "reunion", eat bamboo at a panda base in Ya’an, southwest […]justonemorepet
- Dachshund Family Photo | Picture Furrfect July 20, 2015Video: Dachshund Family Photo | Picture Furrfectjustonemorepet
- They Were Dead Puppy Parts Instead of Dead Baby July 16, 2015Bristol Palin: Fellow SixSeeds blogger Zeke Pipher has a great question: If they were dead puppy parts, or parts from homosexual babies, or babies that self-identified as adults, it’d be a different story. Meaning, it would be a story. But as it is, the fact that these fetuses don’t look like puppies, and their sexual […]justonemorepet
- Bob’s Full House July 13, 2015Photo: Cute Overload - Full Housejustonemorepet
- Keep Your Pets Safe on the 4th of July June 30, 2015Family and friends of G.R. Gordon-Ross watch his private fireworks show at the Youth Sports Complex in Lawrence, Kan., Friday, June 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner) Mercury News – Originally posted on July 02, 2013: The Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. Hot dogs, potato salad and, of course, fireworks. But Independence […]justonemorepet
- JOMP Salutes Doggie Dads Both Two and Four Legged June 21, 2015Very few dogs have the experience of being parents these days and especially seeing their litters through the process of weaning and then actually being able to remain part of a pack with at least part of their family. Apachi is our Doggie Dad. He is a Chiweenie and here he is is watching his […]justonemorepet
- Smartest Dog In the World, Chaser – 60 Minutes With Anderson Cooper June 15, 2015By Marion Algier – Just One More Pet (JOMP) – Cross-Posted at AskMarion Anderson Cooper met Chaser, a dog who can identify over a thousand toys, and because of whom, scientists are now studying the brain of man’s best friend. Chaser is also the subject of a book: Chaser: Unlocking the Genius of the Dog […]justonemorepet
- Quebec bill changes animals from "property" to sentient beings and includes jail time for cruelty June 14, 2015By Tamara – Dog Heirs – Cross-Posted at JOMP Quebec, Canada – Animals will be considered “sentient beings” instead of property in a bill tabled in the Canadian province of Quebec. The legislation states that "animals are not things. They are sentient beings and have biological needs." Agriculture Minister Pierre Paradis proposed the bill and […] […]justonemorepet
- In Memory of Rocky – Until We Meet Again on Rainbow Bridge August 30, 2015
Recent Comments
Flickr Photos
Great Book for Children and Pet Lovers… And a Perfect Holiday Gift
One More PetEmily loves animals so much that she can’t resist bringing them home. When a local farmer feels under the weather, she is only too eager to “feed the lambs, milk the cows and brush the rams.” The farmer is so grateful for Emily’s help that he gives her a giant egg... Can you guess what happens after that? The rhythmic verse begs to be read aloud, and the lively pictures will delight children as they watch Emily’s collection of pets get bigger and bigger.
Buy Now: A Must Have For Every Pet Owner
